Starting back

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I posted the pictures from dinner last night today - better Internet connection. Hope you enjoy them.

The weather here is something .... You can go from sunny and nice to cool and almost rainy in less than 15 minutes. So we have had a little of everything today. We also learned today that the canals we are on compete pelted in 1777 - and it is not even the oldest one. We crossed over a rivier today as well, on our canal and we cross a bridge and there is the river below us. Definitely cool.

I drove the boat most of morning ... The score when I handed over the boat to Dave was one boat run aground, one near miss, and one bank torpedoed. The boat that ran aground was really because who knew the water was that shallow right there ... An honest mistake. The near miss, well the wind came up and I think I was distracted by the countryside, and besides, it wasn't really that close. The torpedoed bank ... Well I got confused on the rudder direction, but technically I handed it off to Dave before impact. Andy did say that he and mom saw it coming and had time to brace.

We turned around today, that was our first adventure. We were a little rusty, and we thought it made sense to back into the turn around hole. We found out later that it is better to put your nose into the turn around hole. But anyway, there was a nice boat that came along and towed us around, so all was well.

We stopped at a country estate this afternoon and also by the candy boat from a couple of days ago. Pretty estate and you will see some of the pictures we took of the grounds. We also saw many more fisherman ... One long line of about 10 fisherman fishing in a line along the bank ..and as boats would pass, they would lift their poles. And they were catching fish today, Dan.

Mom did some locks today ... And I captured it in pictures. She did comment that you had to be pretty stout, but she did just great.

Now we are looking for a morning spot for the night .... Lots of competition this weekend.

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Photos

Smushy Peas
Yummy

Spotted Dick with custard
Really not very Twinkie like ... But it was pretty good

After a hard day on the canals
Andy decided to have steak for dinner after this

Working the locks
Getting ready to raise to doors and let the water out

Almost done
Just have to lower the doors and shut the gates now

Wow These doors are heavy
But she got them opened

Fisherman
They all had these types of rigs, poles, seats and nets ..and a cart to haul it all around

Treacle cake with ice cream
This was better than the spotted dick, I thought

Shugborough Hall
One of the stops on the canal